Utility linemen are often required to work in elevated workstations such as utility trucks with aerial buckets. These aerial buckets are typically located at the end of an extendable hydraulically driven arm that is attached to a truck or other vehicle and are capable of lifting one or more linemen to elevated positions above the ground.
Once in position, the linemen is often required to perform repairs or assemblies utilizing many tools and small parts such as washers, nuts, and bolts. While performing the repairs and assemblies, the linemen normally required to wear leather gloves and may sometimes be required to wear thick electrically insulated gloves. These thick gloves make it significantly more difficult to grasp and manipulate small objects.
An aerial bucket typically consists of an open box configuration with a lip surface that extends around the upper open portion of the box. When removing and installing parts for their work, linemen are frequently handling small tools and hardware and for convenience lineman may occasionally place these items onto the lip of the bucket. Tools and hardware stored on the lip of the bucket have a high probability of falling off the lip resulting in lost hardware and productivity. The use of gloves when manipulating tools and hardware stored on the lip of the bucket further increases the probability that an item will fall off the bucket lip.
To solve this problem, there are several related inventions known in the art. For example, hardware storage devices such as bag type apparatuses are configured with one or more grommets capable of receiving hooks that are attached to the lip of the aerial bucket. These bag devices contain a plurality of pockets for storing and organizing tools and hardware. However, when using gloves linemen can have great difficulty retrieving and manipulating specific items in the pockets of these bag storage devices.
Therefore, a need exists for a new storage and hardware staging tray that is capable of attaching to the lip of aerial buckets and other raised workstations, and is able to facilitate the manipulation and organization of small pieces of hardware by gloved hands.